To Survive is to Live
by dreamedalife
Summary: Lara Croft thought that her nightmare was over. She and her friends had escaped the Dragon's Triangle and were on their way back home, away from the horrors that they had experienced on their expedition. It had never crossed her mind that she'd end up in another nightmare; one that Joel and Ellie have been living for years. [Still in Progress! Please review!]


There was a false sense of security that came along with friends. It was something that Lara was getting used to, in spite of herself. The past couple of months had been hellish. Between the brutal storm that had left her shipwrecked, kidnapped and battered by a series of events until she nearly broke and losing some of the most important people in her life, the young woman was left with an unsettling and deeply rooted feeling of displacement and loss. She had managed to make it out alive with a few friends, including her best friend and biggest cheerleader, Sam, whose disappearance had sparked a war that uncovered some of the darkest forces she'd ever seen. She was exhausted and she was defeated, but at least she was safe.

When their boat followed the current and brushed up against the shore of the unfamiliar and unidentifiable beach, Lara found herself once again switching into Survivor Mode. With Sam tucked behind her and Jonah and Joss trying to figure out how to create a makeshift anchor for their vessel, it was up to Lara to scout out the area and make sure that, if nothing else, there was no prominent and immediate danger. "Wait here." She'd said to Sam, jumping down onto the the sand, her boots sinking in almost immediately. With her eyes scanning their surroundings, she took a few steps forward. It seemed safe enough at first glance. There was no sound other than the waves crashing against the shore and the trees surrounding them blowing in the wind. Her body was still sore and even walking made her grimace if she picked up her pace too much, but this was a life that she was getting used to. She had explored the area and deemed it safe enough to camp, at least for the night, before they would take off on foot, in search of human life and maybe an explanation or two. They had built a fire and settled in as the sun set over the horizon. Lara had volunteered to keep watch while the rest of them slept and she had no intention of sleeping herself, but the weight of her recent adventures settled in her bones and it wasn't long before she had dozed off, her hand wrapped around the gun attached to its holster at her waist.

Screaming. It was all she remembered before she woke up on sand, half of her body immersed in sandy water that lapped at her skin in gentle waves. Her breathing was labored as she struggled to sit up, feeling immediate pain in her head that made her cry out. Her vision came and went until she shut her eyes tightly and cradled her knees against her chest in an attempt to stop the throbbing. Eventually, the pain was dull enough to where she could open her eyes once more. The sun was high in the sky and she could taste leftover blood on her bottom lip. Reaching up, she felt something warm on her forehead and when she pulled her fingers away, they were covered in blood. Wincing, she managed to pull herself to her feet, holding her arms out to balance herself. The scene before her was gruesome. There was blood on the sand and her friends belongings were scattered along the beach. Panic filled the pit of her stomach as she realized not only that she had no idea where her friends were... but she couldn't remember what had happened the night before. All she remembered was screaming. She couldn't even remember if it was her own screaming or her friends. Then, came a sharp pain and then, blackness. She tried to call out, but nearly choked on her own voice, a hand moving to her throat to try to stop herself from gagging. Where was Sam? Where were her friends?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement and her ears picked up on sounds she didn't recognize. She should've been relieved, but the second she realized that these sounds were inhuman, she struggled to hide, making her way back towards the boat and hiding behind it, towards the ocean and out of sight of anyone on the beach. She felt pain everywhere, but she was no stranger to it. Fight or flight kicked in and she knew she was in no shape to defend herself, even though it was apparent that she'd done so the night before. She listened carefully, then glanced around the side of the boat and saw something that made her breath catch in her throat. Flashbacks of the night before, fighting these creatures as they tore away at the flesh of her friends filled her eyes. The sound they made caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. She recognized that sound and it nearly incapacitated her as she shrunk back against the boat to avoid being spotted. A hand gripped the knife in its holster at her waist and for a moment, she contemplated defending herself against this thing. There was only one of it and she was the one with a weapon, right? Wrong.

The sound instantly seemed to multiply and she realized that she and that creature weren't alone. There were nearly half a dozen of them following suit, seemingly ambling about on the bloody bleach where so many of them had attacked the night before. Lara knew instantly that she didn't stand a chance. Rather than risk it, she quietly and painfully lifted herself up onto the ledge of the ship, her eyes searching for her weapons and pack. She grabbed her bow, hanging it loosely around her body and barely had time to grab her bag before a loud snap echoed beneath her feet as a wooden plank split in half. In that moment, the creatures turned their gruesome heads and started running towards the boat - and Lara took off running into the trees. For all the shit she had been through and for all of the evil she had faced, she had never felt the kind of fear she felt as she raced through the woods, branches tearing at her skin, trying to outrun the sound of clicking and screeching behind her. Knowing she couldn't keep running forever, she frantically searched for a place to hide - anything to evade this pursuit. Her eyes landed on some kind of broken down structure. A shed, maybe. It looked abandoned and the windows were broken, but the door seemed to be in tact. Quickly, Lara hoisted herself through the window and dropped to her knees, her back against the door, gun in hand.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, praying that they hadn't seen her and that whatever they were, they couldn't climb through windows or turn doorknobs. Turning her head upwards, she stared at the window, waiting to see what fate held in its hands for her. She stifled every bit of pain she was feeling from that run and held absolutely still as the sounds of clicking seemed to come and go, fading as the creatures kept moving. So far, so good. After a few moments of silence, she moved just slightly to stand, her back still against the door. She moved to the other side of the shed and searched for something, anything that she could use. Not more than a minute into her search, Lara heard the sound of metal against the doorknob and turned around just in time to see the door kicked open. Grabbing her gun, she shoved the clip into place and pointed it in the direction of the door, while bracing herself for whoever - or whatever - it was.


End file.
